Warning: That 'lifetime' air filter might be costing you more than cheap paper ones

I heard a guy at the parts counter last week say he's run a K&N on his 6.7 Powerstroke for 80k miles without cleaning it. He swore it was fine. But I've seen dyno tests from a shop in Phoenix showing oiled filters let through more grit after 30k miles than a $12 Wix paper filter. So is the convenience of a 'wash and reuse' filter worth the potential cylinder wear, or are we all just overthinking this? What's your experience with aftermarket air filters on heavy tow rigs?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.avery17d ago

I mean honestly how much grit are we really talking about here. These trucks roll down gravel roads and eat dust storms for breakfast a little extra particulate ain't gonna instantly blow your rings out. 80k miles without touching a K&N is nasty I'll give you that but people act like your engine is gonna grenade after 10k on a dirty oiled filter. I've run cheap paper, I've run aFe dry filters, I've run stock boxes with a drop-in, never once felt a performance difference or seen oil analysis come back bad. Most of the guys losing sleep over intake filtration are the same ones running 500 horsepower tunes and never looking at their fuel filters.

ellis.faith17d ago

Guilty as charged, except my "500 horsepower tune" is more like hoping the check engine light won't come on after a cold start.

jana_jones17d ago

Read somewhere that K&N tests show they actually filter better when dirty.